VARIOUS: U.N.INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY HEAD SAYS U.N.SECURITY COUNCIL COULD REACH AGREEMENT ON NEW RESOLUTION ON IRAQ.

Record ID: 640701

  • Title: VARIOUS: U.N.INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY HEAD SAYS U.N.SECURITY COUNCIL COULD REACH AGREEMENT ON NEW RESOLUTION ON IRAQ.
  • Date: 1st November 2002
  • Summary: (U4) VIENNA, AUSTRIA (NOVEMBER 1, 2002) (REUTERS) LAS/PAN: EXTERIOR OF INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (IAEA) IN VIENNA. VARIOUS: FLAGS. (2 SHOTS) SV: HEAD OF U.N. INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (IAEA) MOHAMED ELBARADEI SEATED SCU: SOUNDBITE (English) MOHAMED ELBARADEI SAYING: "There is a strong commitment as expressed by Bush and his administration that they are fully committed to resolve the issue of weapons of mass destruction through peaceful, diplomatic and multilateral means and that they are committed to fully support the inspection process and they believe that Iraq should have a chance to come clean on weapons of mass destruction, I think this is good news, and I think we should give inspections a chance before we think of other alternatives. I think it is still the most effective way to disarm Iraq or any other country for that matter." WS: OF INTERVIEW. SCU: SOUNDBITE (English) MOHAMED ELBARADEI SAYING: "I left Washington with the impression that there is a narrowing of the gap between the U.S. on one side and Russia and France on the other. There was a good sense of optimism that a resolution will be able to be agreed upon hopefully sometime next week." (U3) MOSCOW, RUSSIA (NOVEMBER 1, 2002) (REUTERS) VARIOUS/TRACK: OF IGOR IVANOV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ENTERING MONASTERY WITH OFFICIALS SCU: CAMERA CREWS. SCU: SOUNDBITE (Russian) IVANOV: "We insist on a formula that makes clear that if inspectors had any problem or if they encounter any violations of U.N. resolutions by Iraq, the question should go back to the U.N. Security Council and then the U.N. Security Council only should examine the issue and decide how to act according to the U.N. Charter which has various measures to use including the use of force. We have grown seriously closer over a full range of positions, but still we have some questions to work on." (U3) BAGHDAD, IRAQ (NOVEMBER 1, 2002) (REUTERS) SV: FLAGS AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE INTERNATIONAL BAGHDAD FAIR. SV: IRAQI VICE-PRESIDENT TAHA YASSEN RAMADAN CUTTING THE RIBBON AT THE INAUGURATION CEREMONY VARIOUS: RAMADAN TOURING THE EXPOSITION. (2 SHOTS) WS: RAMADAN DELIVERING A SPEECH AT OPENING. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) VICE-PRESIDENT TAHA YASSEN RAMADAN SAYING: "We are confident that all the countries taking part in this fair will definitely support Iraq and stand against any draft resolution which the American administration and the British government will try to pass in the Security Council in the future, under flimsy pretexts, because America's aggressive politics have become clear and its announced and declared goal is to attack Iraq to control the oil in the region."
  • Embargoed: 16th November 2002 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: VIENNA, AUSTRIA/ MOSCOW, RUSSIA/BAGHDAD AND ASH, SHARGAT, IRAQ
  • City:
  • Country: Austria Russian Federation Iraq
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA37Y6BZBCLLFCUENAUMG1DRDNS
  • Story Text: The head of the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency has said that U.N. Security Council members could reach agreement on a new resolution on Iraq as early as next week.
    But Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov was less optimistic saying that although the five permanent Council members were moving closer to drawing up the resolution, "serious differences" remained.
    Iraq which has denounced the resolution under preparation as a "declaration of an imperialist war" has said it is confident its friends at the Security Council will foil the "evil schemes" of the United States and Britain.
    Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told Reuters in an interview on Friday (November 1) that the five permanent Council members -- the U.S., Britain, France, Russia and China -- were very close to agreeing a resolution.
    "I left Washington with the impression that there is a narrowing of the gap between the U.S. on one side and Russia and France on the other," he said.
    "There was a good sense of optimism that a resolution will be able to be agreed upon hopefully sometime next week".
    ElBaradei made his comments after returning to Vienna from Washington, where he and chief U.N. arms inspector Hans Blix met President George W. Bush and other top U.S. officials.
    Iraq has agreed to allow arms inspectors to return and said it will give them unfettered access to suspected weapons sites. But the United States has asked the inspectors to wait while it seeks a tougher mandate.
    Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said that although the U.N.'s five permanent Security Council members were moving closer towards the resolution "serious differences" remained.
    "We have grown seriously closer over a full range of positions, but still we have some questions to work on,"
    Ivanov told reporters in Moscow.
    He added that differences remained over the "possible consequences" Iraq should face if U.N. arms inspectors met problems during their searches for weapons of mass destruction or if Baghdad violated the resolution.
    "We insist on a formula that makes clear that if inspectors had any problem or if they encounter any violations of U.N. resolutions by Iraq, the question should go back to the U.N. Security Council and then the U.N. Security Council only should examine the issue and decide how to act according to the U.N. Charter which has various measures to use including the use of force, "Ivanov said.
    At issue is what France, Russia and China call "hidden triggers" in the U.S.- and British-sponsored resolution that would allow Washington to launch a military strike, overthrow Saddam and claim later that it had United Nations authorisation.
    Iraq has denounced the resolution under preparation as a "declaration of an imperialist war" that distorted facts and imposed impossible conditions.
    Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan said in a speech in Baghdad on Friday (November 1) that Iraq was confident its friends at the Security Council would foil the "evil schemes"
    of the United States and Britain.
    "We are confident that all the countries taking part in this fair will definitely support Iraq and stand against any draft resolution which the American administration and the British government will try to pass in the Security Council in the future, under flimsy pretexts, because America's aggressive politics have become clear and its announced and declared goal is to attack Iraq to control the oil in the region," Ramadan said.
    Ramadan was speaking at the opening of the 10-day-long International Baghdad Trade Fair in which 1,200 firms from 49 countries are taking part despite tension with the United States and Britain.
    Iraqi officials said the high turnout this year by Arab, European and Asian companies was evidence of the support and determination of the world in establishing economic ties with Iraq.
    This year's fair is the largest since the event resumed in 1995 for the first time after the 1991 Gulf War.
    It is the first official participation by Saudi Arabia in the event since the two Arab allies broke ties over Iraq's invasion of Kuwait 12 years ago. According to Iraqi sources 43 major Saudi firms will take part.
    Among significant absentees are Britain and the United States.
    The show spans everything from cars to agricultural and industrial equipment, raw materials, spare parts, household goods and construction materials. Military equipment is banned.
    Iraq, a booming market for Western business before August 1990, has the world's largest oil reserves after Saudi Arabia.
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